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1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
George Bruce Upton letters to his father
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- Description
- This is a series of nine letters written by George Bruce Upton, Junior, to his father, describing his journey to California and his experiences therein. The first two letters, HM 24681 and 24684, were written in February and April, 1852, while the younger Upton was en route to California aboard the ship "Great Britain." By the next letter (HM 24683, dated April-May, 1852), the ship has landed at San Francisco. HM 24684 (written May 31) sees George Junior in San Francisco, attempting to order goods for the opening of a store. In the next letter, (HM 24685, dated June 15), he travels to gold mines out of curiosity, and to check on an acquaintance, whom had gone there to search for gold. Putnam, the would-be miner, was found not doing well. George Junior likes what he has seen of San Francisco, though he is not enamored with its government. HM 24686, written in San Francisco on November 15, tells of a fire in Sacramento that, according to Junior, will "enhance the value of almost every description of merchandise" in San Francisco. The rest of the letter is concerned with the shipping and prices of goods, and details of the purchasing of a boat and insurance. The next letter in the series is dated January 15, 1854. George Junior is living in a shared house in San Francisco, and he writes "the city has improved wonderfully." The following letter was written May 31, 1854 (HM 24688) and contains George Junior's description of his visit to gold mines, and his own successful attempts at panning and digging. He also mentions quartz mining as a potential and relatively untapped source of revenue. In his opinion, he considers "the idea of the mines giving out, in the usual acceptance of the expression, as highly improbable." The final letter in this series is HM 24689, alleged to have been written in San Francisco in 1854, as only the final eight pages of the twelve-page letter remain. George Junior reports that "the mining population has diminished greatly," and that the market for goods has also fallen. He worries about the long-term prospects of San Francisco, despite its rapid growth during his stay there.
